The Onion
by Pupcute
Summary: Lily and James are in love...they think. Will their love be able to with hold throughout all the worry surrounding Hogwarts?
1. Understand Me

The Onion

"James you idiot! You can't compare your girl to an onion!" Sirius jeered. James was sat on the floor of the dormitory, notebook in hand. He was trying to compose a poem for Lily, to prove he was serious about her. She had accused him recently of being a prat, and he was trying to redeem himself.

"You never take anything seriously James! There are times when I'm with you when I feel like the centre of our universe...but most of the time it's as if this is all a huge joke to you. Well it's not to me James, I really like you but if you don't feel the same then let's just end it now!"

"Lily I do-"

"No James...I don't see how this is going to work either."

Then Lily flounced off in a huff, her eyes sparkilng for once not with beauty, but with tears.

"Sirius you know I'm not great with the whole writing thing, Moony help me will you!" James replied. His jet black hair stuck up annoyingly at the back, so it constantly looked untidy. He'd often tried to fix it with spells and potions but had decided that wasn't the right (or safest) way to tackle the problem. "James I'm not getting involved, Lily is interested in your feelings not mine" Remus snapped back.

"Wow chill Moony, who's stood on your tail?" James jeered.

"You never think about anyone else's problems J, it's always you and your perfect little life! Well I'm a bit sick of it!" retorted Lupin as he grabbed his books and quill and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him, making it bang so loudly Peter fell off his bed.

After recovering from his fall, Peter smiled at James and stammered, "That wasn't true at all J! You know you're a great person. Lupin's just being an idiot saying all that stuff! Just like Lily is! James turned sharply to face Peter, whose scrunched up little face begged for acceptance, and glared at him, his face burning with fury. "What the hell did you just say Pettigrew?" snarled James, his hands clenched into fists so hard that the knuckles were turning white. Peter's weak smile slowl dissolved to a quivering lip as he saw the rage spread across James' face. "I...erm...well she was being a bit...ya know...stupid saying that about you. We...er all know how much you like her...and how Snape sniffs round her like a lost puppy. I think she's er...messing you about mate. Easy way to er...get rid of you?" James erupted.

He flew at Peter, fits raging, tears pouring down his cheeks! "Prongs, calm it mate!" Sirius had leaped from his bed as he pulled James from Peter, who by this time had a nose pouring with blood. "Get to the hospital Wormy" Sirius ordered. Wormtail turned as fast as he could and raced down the hall, well, as fast as his belly would allow. By this time, James was sat on his bed, his poem to Lily scrunched tightly in his hard. One of his hands was bleeding too. "We better fix that up mate" Sirius murmered, hoping not to irritate James further. "Why is it Pad, that everyone I talk to, sees me as a complete and utter git?" James exclaimed. "I mean you are the only person I can really talk to, except Lily, but she thinks I'm an ass anyway so she'll go off with Snivelus and live happily ever after! It's too hard to please everyone", then he flung the notebook to the wall, and the scrunched paper down the stairs. He then locked himself in the bathroom.

Lily Evans was sat on the couch in front of the fire in the Gryfindor common room when she heard the bangs from upstairs. It sounded like the boys were fighting again. She hoped she wouldn't fall out with them like she had with Serverus. It had been harsh, but she decided not to dwell on it. As she was onto page 58 of "Hogwarts: A History", Lupin stormed down the stairs in a huff. "What's up Remus?" Lily asked, putting her book down on the arm of the couch. "Go ask our stupid boyfriend Lil! He's being a right foul git!" Remus exclaimed, flopping down on the couch. "I mean, I love being his mate and everything and he really likes you, but I'm fed up of his self obsessed dramas." There was another loud bang and Peter Pettigrew came flying down the stairs, blood pouring from his nose, but before Lily could ask, he's left the common room. "Moony, go check out whats happening please...you know I can't go up there! I have a feeling J has had a bit of an outburst. Oh, and tell him I said he has to apologise to you!" Lupin smiled and rolled his eyes as he dragged himself up the stairs. Lily grabbed her book to head back to her own dormitory when she noticed a piece of scrunched paper on the floor by the boy's stairs. She picked it up and read it.

_My dearest flower,_

_The sunlight rains upon your eyes,_

_Like it does on sunflowers in the summer._

_It makes them dance and swirl next to a pool of sapphires,_

_Just like your pupils._

_However, the one thing I can find that describes you perfectly is an onion._

_It's layers confuse me as I try to understand it,_

_And it knows it challenges me. _

_But underneath all the protection is a plant,_

_As gentle and as strong,_

_As a Lily._

Lily recognised the handwriting and a wide smile slowly slid across her face. She shouted up the stairs, "Lupin..tell him I love him too."


	2. Calming Down

When Lupin entered the room he was met by a scene of destruction. Peter's bed was was splattered with blood, which Remus assumed was his own. Sirius was sprawled out across his bed, staring into space. Remus stepped across the room, trying his best to avoid the bloodstains and crumpled sheets, and spoke to Sirius. "Hey Pad, what happened here? Did a bomb decide that our room was the cleanest room in the whole of Hogwarts and it just had to mess it up?" Sirius smiled at this; it was a well-known fact that their bedroom was the worst kept room in the whole castle. Lily had a habit of reminding them every time they clambered down the stairs together. Lily, LILY! "Moony!" Sirius exclaimed. "It's James. Wormy said some stuff to him and he just lost it! I've never seen him like that before. He lashed out and punched him in the nose a couple of times, but he wouldn't stop so I had to pull him off."

"Well what did Peter say to him?"

"That you and Lily were stupid and she and Snape were going to run off together or something, it got quite tense. To be fair I would have done exactly the same if it had been Wormy talking about Lauren, although she isn't as fit al Lil!"

"Don't let James hear you say that, he'll think you're after her as well! Where is he anyway?"

"Locked in the bathroom!" Sirius replied. Lupin then went to the bathroom door and knocked loudly. "Oi! Open up Prongs, Lily has a message for you mate and you know what she's like if you leave her waiting, temper to match the hair so come on!" The bolt unlocked and James stepped from the bathroom, fist encrusted with stale blood, his hair even messier after the fight and one of his lenses was broke in his glasses. "What did Lily say?" James enquired, considering they hadn't spoken for the past two days. "That she hates me and never want me to be a part of her life again? Well? Moony spit it out 'cus I've got to go and fix these bloody glasses!" Remus smirked at this.

"Bloody being the operative word there mate, but neither of us blame you. We would have done exactly the same thing but Lily told me to tell you to stop being mean to me and then she said that she loves you."

"Did she really Re?" James' face began to widen with joy. Something had made Lily change her mind, but what was it? "I'm going to see her! Pad, I'll meet you in the dinner hall later!" He then grabbed his robe and rushed out the door. He knew that he would have to fight tooth and nail for Lily but God was she worth every second.

Peter Pettigrew was sat in Hogwarts hospital wing having his nose fixed by Madame Pomfrey. "Episkey" she sighed and with a flick of her wand, and a wail from Peter, his nose was fixed. His blood had been wiped away and puffy red eyes had reduced so that you could hardly tell he had been crying. "Honestly Peter, you must be more careful" Madame Pomfrey reasoned "You know I can fix anything you do to yourself but one of these days you're going to seriously injure yourself beyond repair. Another fall like this and I'll have to use a stronger spell." Peter was determined that this was never going to happen again. He stormed from the room, his thoughts raging. Ok, he knew James had never wanted him in the group and he knew the others just considered him a loiterer. Perfect James Potter, him and Sirius got all the girls, despite the fact that they were both players. Then there was Remus, who everyone just saw as mysterious but kind. Peter began to wonder, what people would think if they all knew his little secret…no Peter thought to himself. That's not fair. Remus was the only one who ever paid him any attention in the group so he couldn't take it out on him. However he was also quite a charmer with the girls. So where did that leave Peter? He was nearly at the common room now and he was still wearing the same shirt he had on when James thumped him. His shirt was blood stained and his nose was still running. He'd have to ask Lily to fix his shirt. Wait, no. This was all her fault for seducing Prongs, if she'd never entered the equation then they'd all be fine, Peter knew it. She was only a muggle born anyway…but what to do. He'd show the others how much of a bad boy he really was.

"Bludger" he growled, as a look of pure evil slowly devoured his face and the fat lady swung open.


	3. Make up Break Up

Lily had just finished her Divination homework, meaning she had the whole of Saturday afternoon to herself. However she felt slightly lost, and her first instinct was to go and see the boys but it sounded as if they were all having a bit of a squabble. Her red curls were pulled up into a messy bun and a few wisps had escaped from the side so that they caressed her face. It was June so the weather was very warm. She was wearing a baby blue strappy top that contrasted wonderfully with her hair and was rather low cut. She had a pair of denim shorts on that rose quite high but in her mind it was hot so why not? At least she didn't strut around in her bikini like bloody Poppy Parkinson. God help that woman's children was all Lily had to offer that girl. She decided to go and take her new book outside to the tree by the lake where her and James had shared their first kiss. If he wanted to find her, she knew that would be the first place he'd look. Just as she reached the portrait hole, there was a loud banging noise coming from the boy's stairs when James emerged at the bottom. He looked rough. His face was tear stained and his fist looked bruised and was coated in a cover of hard, stale blood. Their eyes met across the room and he moved towards her. Taking her hand he lead Lily from the common room and along the corridors. As they moved up the staircases he slowly caressed her hand, his body electrifying at her touch. The finally reached the seventh floor and until then Lily had followed James without hesitation but she was now curious to see where they were headed. The feeling of his fingers interlocked with hers felt so right. James drew to a halt at a wall and let thoughts of Lily and his love for her swell up inside his head until she was all he could focus on. There was a sudden loud creaking noise and a door slowly began to emerge from the wall. The Room of Requirement.

James moved forward and Lily followed willingly. She was amazed to see a room decorated with fairy lights and candles around the edge. In the centre, a large patch of fluffy blue pillows and cushions lay, inviting them to approach. James led Lily toward the pillows and sat down, still clutching her hand. She placed herself next to him and began to speak.

"James, I'm s-" she began.

James leaned forward and caressed her mouth with his lips. She responded and moved with him, one hand reaching up to his face whilst the other locked itself into his black mass of hair. James took this as a go for it and placed his hands upon her waist and lifted her onto his lap. They began to move more vigorously now, their tongues colliding and James' hands began to slip beneath the blue top. It was flung to the side without a second glance. She threw his robes to the floor whilst he released her fiery locks from their bobble, allowing them to fall free around her face. He allowed his hands to explore it for a few moments by which time Lily was on her back with James on top of her. James moved to spread kisses below Lily's jaw line and travelled to her earlobe, gently nibbling it as she removed his t-shirt and he undid his pants. Lily's violet satin bra became a thing of the past as did her shorts and matching knickers. They were soon moving as one, cemented together by their passion and love for one another. They broke off halfway through and Lily spoke.

"James Potter, you are a beast and a bad influence on me sir."

He took over again, exploring her body with caring strokes and kisses. She replied first in soft moans then moved faster to keep up with James. Luckily, the soundproof walls did their job well.

Lauren joined Sirius and Lupin for dinner and Sirius was getting impatient.

"Where the hell are they? I wanna know what's happening with them..hey Moony, 5 galleons says we don't see them till tomorrow morning? Dirty pair" he said.

"Really Sirius, James and Lily's sex life does not concern me whatsoever." Lupin exclaimed.

"Ah well, if ya can't beat em, join em I say eh Lauren" Sirius grinned, winking at Lauren.

She smiled back at him and grabbed her bag leaping from the table and pecking him on the cheek.

"7, in your dorm shall we say Black?" she whispered in his ear as she pulled away.

"Sounds good to me Bell" he replied, a cheeky grin expanding on his face.

Lauren flounced off blushing and virtually ran up the staircase. Remus watched her leave and snorted. Why was it that Sirius rushed into sex with every single girl he met, it was as if he was addicted or something. Remus couldn't remember the first girlfriend Sirius he had, but he remembered the mess of the dormitory the day after. James was nearly as bad, although he did it outside of the dorm more, but Lily didn't deserve that. She was caring and loving, not something to be toyed with. Lupin's fists began to squeeze together at the thought of them together. No, he reasoned. Lily was good for James, she had tamed him slightly.

"You ok Moony?" Sirius's voice echoed through the thoughts in Lupin's head and he realised that he had been clenching his fists.

"Yeah, fine. Hey have you seen Pettigrew since the incident? I wanna warn him that our dorm may not be disturbed till at least 11 tonight because a certain someone is a dirty git" Lupin chuckled.

"Me or James now Remus? We're as bad as each other these days!" Sirius joked as Remus shot him a backward grin then left the hall.

Peter had been outside for the most of the afternoon. He had gone to the common room to fetch his Potions homework then sat by the black lake. He had come to a conclusion:

The best way to get at James was through Lily, despite how nice she appeared.

The way to reach Lily was through her blood status. He was pretty sure several Slytherins would be able to help him in that department.

It would have to be very secretly planned and must involve Serverus Snape. That was essential. It musn't get too messy and James must not know until after it had happened.

It would happen next Saturday.


	4. Downfall

Lily was sat on James' lap breathing in his heavy scent. She was dressed but her hair still fell loose and James was stroking it. Suddenly Lily spoke.

"Your glasses are broken."

"Oh yeah, I mean to ask you about that…what was that spell again?"

Lily smiled "Occulus Repairo" she muttered and the crack in the lens cleared up instantly. They sat together in silence for a few more moments when James asked the question he'd wanted to ask all night.

"What changed our mind Evans?" he muttered into her ear.

"About what Potter?" she smiled knowingly.

"Well one minute you hate me and the next we're well…doing that. Something must have changed, not that I'm complaining" Lily giggled slightly at this.

"Well Mr Potter, I read a decent piece of literature this morning. However I'm not aware who the poet was as he didn't sign his name. The poem referred to an onion…know what I'm talking about?"

The final puzzle piece clicked, his poem! He'd thrown it down the stairs after the fight. It's a good job he did because he (and Sirius) had thought it belonged in the bin!

"Well, I'm not sure but if I ever meet this person I will let him know how clever, courageous, good looking, char-"

Lily stopped his waffling with a kiss.

Peter was heading in from the grounds. The sun had begun to fade and it was strangely chilly outside. He had a whole plan structured in his head. Never again would those fools look down on him and call him "Wormy". And never again would James Potter look at him as a loser. As for Lily Evans, she would neve-

"Oi! Pettigrew!" Lupin's voice blasted through the corridors and into Peter's head. "You'd be better off outside mate, Sirius has an arrangement tonight so I advise you don't get in the way; especially after this morning. Are you ok by the way? No hard feelings from my side Pete, but James might be harder to convince. He'll come round eventually." Peter turned on the innocent act.

"Oh yes…well…I…err..I'm sorry about….what I said Remus. James just seemed so…so….angry with you! I didn't want to err…anger him any more. Bye then." He plastered a fake smile across his face as he saw Remus contemplating what had just been said, and then he scurried off. He decided it was time to take a visit to the Slytherin common room.

Lupin was confused. Why would James be angry with him? He had been fine earlier hadn't he, but then again he had been talking about Lily. That always hypnotised him into obsessing about her, but to be brutally honest, she was too good for him. She was gorgeous, clever, gentle and kind! And he was a lying prat. Everyone knew he'd been with Lauren when Sirius was about to ask her out. He didn't mind though, they thought it was funny! Showed what kind of people they were! Lily would be much better off with him. No, these were his friends and they had their problems but they'd embraced his big problem so that was a selfish thought. Lily and James were blatantly made for one another so why stand in the way of destiny? Because Remus loved her that's why.

James had talked Lily into sleeping in the Room of Requirement. They needed space to talk and it was the perfect place. They went to grab a few essentials and, after a rather startling sight for James including Lauren and Sirius, met up again on the seventh floor. This time they both allowed their love and care for each other swell up, but they also thought about comfort too! When the doors appeared again, they hid an enormous bedroom which included a king sized bed already made. There was a corner of couches and a TV, and then there was an en-suite. It was like a hotel. Lily had brought some books with her so she flopped on the couch and began to read. She was soon disrupted though because James appeared beside her and slipped his arm around her waist tickling her. Soon he looming over her whilst she was hysterical. "Ok, ok! You win James! The book is gone!" She sat up and wrapped herself around him. They intended to have a long conversation to sort things out. However, their mouths took a route to the bed.

Peter knew that the Slytherin common room was beneath the black lake, however getting there was a different story. Luckily, he overheard two first year Slytherins discussing the way in and followed them He snuck in after them and spotted who he wanted right away.

"Hi Marcus." Marcus looked up from his paper.

"What do you want Pettigrew? Is this about that Li-"

"Shut it!" Peter hissed, "Do you want the whole bloody school to know? Just get it done and make sure you involve Serverus. Say it's another cleansing ceremony just don't mention who it is. When he sees her you make him do it, got it? This can't go wrong Marcus, you'll get what I promised you if this goes well. You can use the usual crowd to help you, but Snape holds the knife, ok?"

"Saturday right? I look forward to it Peter. Will you be going?"

"I'm not stupid. No one can know it's me, yet. Make sure you drill it in to her that if she tells anyone about it you'll get her. She won't spill if you threaten to bring Potter into it as well."

"Done. I'll let you know how it goes. A week today, another mudblood will be put in their place." Peter snorted and wandered towards the door. As he turned, his face had broken it's mask and was a look of evil.

"My thoughts exactly." He said. Then he left without another word.


	5. Secrets

Lily woke up early the next morning. According to her clock it was 5:46 am. As she sat up she contemplated the importance of time. If Remus hadn't of walked down the stairs when he did, she wouldn't have been sat there with James lying next to her holding her hand. If she hadn't have finished her homework at that precise moment, then she would have missed James coming down the stairs. Yet, time seemed unimportant right then. It was a Sunday and she had James all to herself all day. There were rumours last night about Lauren and Sirius so he would be flat out all day because it was unlikely he actually slept last night. She decided to get dressed and get ready so that she could be the first in for breakfast. The food was at it's best earlier in the morning and she could wrap a load up for the two of them to share. She headed to the en-suite and removed her clothes from their bag. She washed and dressed in a flash, but was unable to decide how to do her hair. In the end, she decided upon a loose bun because it was out of her way but she still had her wispy bangs, which she knew James loved. She grabbed her bag and headed for the door.

Peter awoke with a sore back and a stiff neck. He opened his eyes and groaned as he turned his head to notice the fireplace. He remembered then that he had slept in the common room with Remus. He had slept on the couch whilst Remus, because he was far more advanced in class than Peter, conjured a blow up mattress to sleep on. Sirius was getting cheeky now. It was their dorm too and he didn't have the right to kick anyone out. At least James had a plaything to keep him happy; for Peter knew that he would eventually drop Lily in a flash if a better offer came along, and soon enough Lily Evans wouldn't be worth more than a single Bertie Botts bean. Of course everyone would be kept in the dark for the next couple of weeks, but once Marcus and the Slytherins had you on your hit list, you might as well drop out of Hogwarts there and then. Peter suddenly felt much cheerier, and stumbled up to his dorm.

Marcus was sat next to Snape during Charms. Personally, Snape disgusted him, what with the greasy hair and the tatty robes. Apparently home life was bad, but there was no excuse at Hogwarts. They all had regular access to shampoo! It was time to tell him about Saturday.

"So Serverus, you free Saturday?"

"Yeah. Why?

"Well we've planned a cleansing, it's quite an important one."

"Who is it this time Marcus?"

"Some fourth year with parents as zookeepers. I mean who does that? Anyway we all know it's your turn to take charge so you up for it, sounds like it'll be one to remember?"

"Course, Moaning Myrtle's toilet yeah?"

"Where else, we have never been caught there and she just floods the bathroom anyway so there's no need for us to tidy up! Bring the gag and extra rope, I hear they're quite feisty."

"Sure, see you at 7pm on Saturday. Are we keeping them there till the next morning or not?"

"We'll wait and see," said Marcus as a smirk crawled across his face. Then the bell rang for next lesson.

The next week flew by in a flash. It was soon common knowledge that Lily and James were back on. They walked everywhere hand in hand and spent most evenings after school together. Lily was spending a lot of time with the Marauders too so she saw a lot more of Peter. She spoke to him often so when he explained that he needed help with his potions work, Lily agreed instantly. She found it rewarding tutoring people just to see the light of realisation settle upon their faces when they finally understood. It made her feel special and needed, something she very rarely felt at home. So they agreed to meet on Saturday evening outside Moaning Myrtle's toilet because Peter had a special study place to show Lily. She was excited to find where this place was because recently she couldn't concentrate in the common room without James coming up behind her and tickling her. She loved it, but it was a bit irritating when she was trying to study for N.E.W.T.s. So on Saturday she kissed James for longer than she planned to, left a note on the door for her roommate Sian and then went to meet Peter.

The sun was beginning to set and the sky was a pink shade dotted with sunbeams. Lily was there early and when the chimes rang for seven o'clock she was aware of another presence. At first she thought it must be Peter, however when she turned round there were two large shapes coming towards her Suddenly there was a yank from behind her and her arms were pulled backwards. She tried to scream but there was instantly a piece of cloth over her mouth and her wrists were bound with a spell. The largest of the boys in front of her fished around in her bag for her wand and hid it behind a statue in the next corridor. The other boy came towards her with a large bag and suddenly it clicked what was happening. As Lily began to struggle she was violently slapped then thrown into the bag by the person behind her. The only thing was, she didn't see their face.


	6. Harsh Reality

When Lily awoke she had a groggy head and her wrists were bound tightly behind her. She tried to stand up but discovered her ankles were also bound, but to the stiff legs that held the chair up. Her sleeves had been ripped from her shirt and her arms were tied firmly to the arms of the wooden chair using both magic and heavy ropes. The gag had been removed though and as Lily's eyes adjusted to the scene, a slight moan escaped from her lips as she recognised her company. They were all Slytherins from various years. She'd heard that they were all in some form of cult but she'd just assumed that was viscous rumour, until now of course. Her location suddenly became obvious; it was Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Lily mentally screamed as she realised no one would ever find her up here.

"Feeling the heat are we Evans?' Lily recognised Marcus Lee from the year above. He'd had to re-do his final year three times already.

"Well what do you think Lee? I've been kidnapped, gagged and thrown into a sack, but no, I'm perfectly chilled!" Lily snapped back.

"Don't anger us Evans, cus unless you haven't noticed we're2 in charge here. So shut your mouth or we'll shut it for you" he snarled. "Serverus, you're up! Don't forget the mute charm either."

"I'm not stupid Marcus, and you should of told me it was her we were messing with. Never do this to me again, are we clear?" Snape spat out.

"So are you backing out Snape? She's a filthy little mudblood who belongs in the gutter and we all know that, even you do now she hangs round with that piece of scum Potter. Just get the knife out Serverus, and do it."

"Serverus?" Lily's eyes instantly brimmed with tears as they stared into the eyes that had one belonged to her best friend. Now, they stared back at her, hollow and empty.

"Shut it mudblood. Muffilato" Serverus grunted. The air nearest the walls rippled and the walls instantly became soundproof. The largest guy from the corridor appeared next to Lily and tightened the rope around her right arm. Serverus pulled a pocketknife from his cloak and flicked it open. He then proceeded to shorten the distance between himself and Lily. Her tears began to swiftly fall down her face and as the knife was an inch from her skin she began to howl and beg.

"Please Serverus! Please don't hurt me, you don't know what you're doing can't we go back to the way it was over summer? I'm really sorry about James but it was unavoidable, you're one of the best friends I've ever had and I don't want to lose you! Can we just put all of this behind us and start again?" Lily's face was ear streaked now and she was shaking with fear.

"You made your choice Lily after summer when you chose Potter over me. You have no place in this world, you're a disgusting breed and I can't stand the sight of you" Serverus growled. Then he spat at her. She was still crying at the blade began to slice her arm near the wrist, but on the other side. The blood began as a drizzle and soon progressed to a gush as Snape carved letters into Lily's skin. Her shrieks of pain rattled the toilet doors whilst the Slytherins stood there and smirked, although some of the girls grimaced at the sight of the blood. The floor around the chair became bloodstained as did the chair and Lily's jeans. After about ten minutes of slow painful torture, Lily's screams faded away and she began to feel dizzy. The knife had stopped for a while and Lily could just make out the word in capital letters on her arm: MUDBLOOD. Silent tears began to flow as Serverus advanced towards her again and she tried to beg but no words would come out. Crosses were slashed across her shoulder as if to warn others that she was a danger. He then moved to her ankle and created an anklet shape of tiny hearts with his knife. He stopped momentarily to wash the knife and Lily thought it was over, but then he moved behind her and clutched a handful of her hair. That was the final straw.

"SERVERUS! Stop please! This isn't who you are and you know it! Leave my hair and let me go. I won't say anything to anyone I swear, just leave me alone." Lily was screaming now and tears of frustration, anger and pain were hurtling down her face.

"I won't ask you again Evans, shut up." Then Lily's hair began to fall to the floor

"Sev, we can stop now. She's got the message." Sneered Marcus. "Now you listen here you piece of filth. You mention this to anyone and we'll get Potter next got it?" Lily nodded weakly. "So consider yourself officially cleansed by the worthy elites." Marcus then proceeded to tip a bucket of water over Lily's head and all of her clothes. "Now muggleborn, we're gonna change this round a bit. You're going to spend the night here and early in the morning one of us will bring you a uniform to wear for the rest of the day and you can carry on like nothing's happened got it? We'll bring some bobbles too so that you can sort out your mop. Jed, fetch the chains." Lily's wrists and feet were untied and were left bleeding from the burns; they were then clamped with tight chains and she was lead to the basin with the broken tap and chained to the pipes. The Slytherins filed out laughing and joking. Serverus wouldn't meet her eye as he left, but Marcus was the last to leave and he came and sat next to her.

"You know, for a muggleborn you're actually quite fit. Fancy a snog and a play?" whispered Marcus and Lily thrust the chains at him causing him to hit the floor. "I get it, you've had a hard evening. I'll be here to pick you up in the morning…and to walk you to class." He rose and slunk from the room. Lily lay there, bleeding and battered. She didn't know what to do or who to trust? It must have been set up by someone, maybe Peter? She didn't know, all she wanted was to hug James and breathe in his mossy smell. To make matters worse, Moaning Myrtle flooded the place for the umpteenth time that year.


	7. The Morning After

Needless to say Lily's sleep that night was disturbed. She had eventually drifted off to sleep after Moaning Myrtle had disappeared down a drainpipe, however she awoke regularly due to the pain across her body and the nightmares.

She was running, but she had nowhere to go. She was in a forest, surrounded by the deadly colour of green, the colour of Slytherin. She tried to scream but every time there was a hand or a gag in the way. James didn't even know where she was.

She heard Marcus before she saw him. The loud groan of the door being forced open echoed throughout the huge bathroom creating an eerie tension as Marcus approached Lily. She was still chained to the sink and she was covered in dried blood from both the chains and the cleansing. Her uneven hair stuck out at odd ends around her face; she looked defeated.

'Morning beautiful!' Marcus chirped as he entered. 'Brought you your clothes for the day and a wand to use, with supervision, so that people don't speculate about your hair! Your story is that you were practising a spell and it went wrong i.e. the hair issue!'

'Ok, but I'd appreciate it if you let me out of these chains and gave me some privacy.'

'I don't think so babe, I'm standing right here whilst yu dress and your wrists will still be clamped to the sink, but first, we need to have a chat. It's 5am in the morning so we're not expected for hours! I get that it's a Sunday but you have to wear these clothes or we will know…seriously! So, now for the fun part'

Then before she had a chance to react, Marcus' mouth was smothering her own and his hands were already halfway up her bloodstained shirt. She shoved him off with a lot of work, but in doing so she banged her head on the basin behind her.

'You're nothing but a filthy mudblood after all! I thought you might decide to take the better route but you're just a piece of filth. Get dressed now, and I'm watching.'

James thought it was odd. He hadn't heard from Lily since yesterday afternoon and that was extremely unusual for the two of them. She'd mentioned that she was helping Peter with homework but he'd never left the common room. Things were still a bit sensitive with Peter so James had decided not to mention it, he couldn't be a done with a new argument. However, he was beginning to get worried. What was Lily up to?

There was a thick smog of tension in the room between both Lily and Marcus. The uniform had been Slytherin so when Lily pulled a face, Marcus wasn't best pleased. The skirt was ridiculously short and the top looked like there was half missing. She had used to wand to twist her hair up, hiding it's shortness and what a mess it was. The shoes were high heeled and they would never ever have appealed to Lily. She was petrified of what James would think, he would think she was some sort of desperate idiot. This was about to be the worst day of her life.


	8. Mischief Managed

*** I made some adjustments to the previous chapter. Lily was kept in the bathroom all Sunday and this is Monday morning. Just wanted to clear that up *******

Although no one was up yet, Lily still felt ridiculously embarrassed walking down the corridor dressed like a tart. Her shoes made a 'clip clopping' sound as she moved and the skirt bounced furiously with her steps. She decided to say that someone had switched her clothes in the night as a joke and would get back to her dorm to change them as quickly as possible. Her clothes had been burned as soon as she changed to hide the evidence as Marcus described it. The worst part was the Slytherin attire was the only thing covering her scars from the night before, and they were even more embarrassing. The first chance she got, she was leaving class to be ill in bed.

Realising it was a school day, Lupin groaned. James had been worrying about Lily all day yesterday. Her roommate Sian said she didn't hear her come in on Saturday or last night. She'd been missing since she went to meet Peter on Saturday, but Peter never left the common room. Remus hated to judge people, but there was a part of him that guessed Peter was somehow involved. Revenge on James perhaps; for everyone knew how the rebellious Potter would do anything to make Lily happy. He was a different person around her. They fitted together like a jigsaw; that was why Remus couldn't let his feelings of affection for Lily hover at the surface any longer. He had to bury them deep within his soul to make sure no one ever discovered his thoughts of betrayal. It could never be anyway, he was a werewolf who could damage anyone who grew close to him. For Lily's protection, he vowed from that moment to never act upon his feelings towards her. He was still allowed to be worried about her though and he had this dark concern that somewhere, she was hurting.

Peter awoke satisfied. Marcus had spoken to him after the cleansing and it sounded as if Lily was at rock bottom. Once she cracked and her relationship collapsed, James Potter would lash out at anyone and wouldn't have time to blame Peter for everything. It could all be Lily's fault and she would soon be the talk of the school, he heard Severus was quite harsh with the knife. She was only a mudblood after all, no precious blood spilt.

Lily's first class: potions, with James. Perhaps she could politely explain to the professor that she wasn't well at all and would happily copy up what she had missed later. She'd come to a decision about James anyway. She had to end her blissful happiness so as to protect him. If he knew then he was sure to have it out with Marcus. She knew he was brave and would easily take injuries to protect her, but she couldn't and never would, expect him to put his own life at risk for hr. It wasn't fair. Plus, she wasn't good enough for him. He was a pureblood and she was muggleborn, he deserved better. She knew he didn't care but other people would talk eventually. Their separation was inevitable but how to break it to him? At that precise moment, the bell sounded for first lesson. With a deep breath Lily bowed her head and shuffled quickly into the classroom before anyone could say a word.

James waltzed into potions ten minutes late and received only a nod and a grunt in response from the teacher. He slid into his seat next to Lily and was relieved to know that she was there and ok. He pulled out his books and ripped a piece of paper from the middle of his jotter.

_Evans,_

_I've been worried sick about you. Where were you? _

_Don't even THINK about ignoring this message._

Potter x

_P.S. You should wear that uniform more often cus you look hot, but what's with the sudden change of allegiance?_

He slid the note to Lily's elbow and nudged her bare knee with his own. She flinched at his touch and without moving her head to she grabbed the scrap of paper and scanned it. Flipping it over, she wrote a quick, painful twenty one words:

_**We need to talk. After school by the black lake. I know you won't let me down, you never do.**_

_**Lily.**_

She slowly pushed the note towards him, without any eye contact. She watched his face scrunch up at her words but he slowly nodded. Inside, Lily felt sick at what she had to do. But she had to do it.

When school finished, James decided to visit his dorm quickly. He entered the door to find Sirius and Lupin playing cards.

"S'up Prongs!" Sirius questioned as he recognised the look of despair that lingered over his best friends features.

"Nothing Pad, just Lily wants to speak to me now but she isn't herself and I'm really worried. What if something's happened and I haven't been there to protect her? I couldn't take that Pad you know that." James ran his fingers through his black mop in frustration. None of them said another word and James proceeded to grab his robe before leaving the room (slamming the door in anger and confusion for good measure).

"Something tells me that we're going to have a broken hearted guy return through that door Sirius." Remus uttered.

"I hope you're wrong Moony, but I'm afraid I feel the same. If she hurts him, I'll look at her in a whole new light. I won't be afraid to tell her that either." Sirius shrugged. Remus fought those devil emotions and simply replied:

"Me too."

Lily was waiting by the lake for twenty minutes before James' silhouette emerged from the castle. She had changed into her own clothes but her scars were covered thoroughly. This was about to be painful enough as it was. As James approached she couldn't help herself from grabbing his face and peacefully kissing him goodbye.

"James, before I start, I need you to understand that you must not interrupt me and this is the most painful thing I will ever have to do in my life. The past couple of months have been utter bliss with you. You're my soul mate, my Romeo, my everything. With you I feel accepted and whole. However, some things have happened over the weekend which made me understand just how precious you are to me. I can't tell you what those events and anyway, they don't really matter. What matters is that they made me realise that I am not good enough for you and never will be. You could get anyone you wanted and you don't deserve second best. I love you so much but I have to let you go. It's the only way that I can protect you, just like I know you would always have done for me. I will always love you James Potter, but I have to finish it here." She risked a glance up at his eyes and she suddenly felt weak at the knees. She was falling into the deep blue irises which surrouded his soft, sad pupils. Tears began to pour down her face and she knew that if she stayed any longer she would cave.

"Goodbye Potter." And with that she turned away from him and ran into loneliness.


	9. Break Down

Lily ran and ran until her legs could take no more. Her legs collapsed beneath her and she fell to the floor. By now she'd reached the Forbidden Forest and it was beginning to get dark, how long had she been running for? She forced her body to balance on her feet and tried to get her bearings. How far in was she and what time was it? For the first time in her life, Lily Evans sat down on the floor and, feeling sorry for herself, curled up into a ball and decided to just give up.

Rattling the staircases, James stormed towards the common room. His face was tear streaked and no one needed to see that. The fat lady didn't even ask for the password and as she swung open James glared at her. Who was she to demand what he should know? He flew up the stairs and slammed his dorm door faster than you could say sherbet lemon. He took one look at Sirius and collapsed. "I've lost her Pad, she's left me." Then with a sob, he curled up into a ball and decided to give up on life.

The next few weeks leading up to Christmas saw many of the 6th years pass by in a daze. Lily and James didn't speak at all and walked round like ghosts most of the time. Lily had always been one to flounce off her figure but recently people had begun to notice that she had adopted the polar neck and tracksuit bottom appearance. Most assumed it was due to the break up, but surely if she'd ended it she wouldn't be so distraught? Others speculated that she had resorted to self-harming, however no one mentioned it to either James or Lily. Lily had become an outcast. She never spoke to anyone and was constantly studying. Sian had mentioned to Lupin and Sirius that she cried herself to sleep most nights and left so early in the morning that no one knew where she went. Peter was smug. His plan had worked perfectly and soon she was sure Lily Evans would drop out of Hogwarts for good. He had begun to worm his way into James' good books by complementing him and telling him that Lily was never good enough. Soon, he would be close enough to destroy him completely as well. It was only a matter of time.

Lily found a haven in the library. Books took her mind off things. The people in books always got their happy ending, well, they good guys anyway; that didn't matter anyway, she wasn't a good guy anymore. James couldn't even bring himself to look at her. She understood how much it hurt though; because she loved him more than she thought was possible. He made her feel safe and protected. Now, she was even more vulnerable. Marcus' looks and smirks in the corridors made her blood curdle, and she would bow her head and hurry past. She'd shoved all of her strappy tops and cropped jeans to the bottom of her chest; what would people think if they saw her scars? She'd accepted that Sev had won, this was all his fault.

James decided that he didn't need Lily. There were plenty of girls around Hogwarts who were fit enough to replace her. He'd taken to attending all of the parties Hogwarts had to offer, often pulling a different girl every time. His life was a blur. Nothing mattered or made sense without her. He couldn't think straight, he kept making rash decisions and regretted them afterwards. Like the Monday before Christmas. He was drunk on firewhiskey and had his arm around the waist of a Gryffindor 6th year when Lily had come around the corner. Their eyes met and Lily's steamed over with tears. James had stared at her for a while before turning to the girl next to him.

"See that bitch there babe? Yeah, she was my mudblood girlfriend! Pfft, what a mistake that was!"

Lily's face crumpled and she turned and ran back down the corridor. James regretted it the morning after. He wanted to apologise, but facing her meant looking at her which risked the rise of his feelings again. That wasn't going to happen this time.

Before she had encountered James on that Monday, Lily had been getting changed in her dorm. She pulled her jumper off, revealing the scars up her arm and around her wrist. She's managed to tame her hair and it was almost back to it's original length. As she tossed the jumper onto her bed, Sian walked through the door. Looking up, she gasped at the sight of Lily's scar. MUDBLOOD in deep cuts was inscribed into one arm. Lily grabbed her shirt and shoved it on, before rushing past Sian.

"Lily wait! We need to-" The door slammed behind her.


	10. Revelation

Lily was slumped in the armchair at the back of the library, her eyes bloodshot. If Sian found out then she would definitely tell James. As she buried her head in her arms, she heard heavy footsteps approaching and felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. As she lifted her head, Lupin's face came into view.

"What do you want?" she whimpered, her lip quivering.

"To make sure you're ok Lily. What the hell happened to you?"

"None of your business Remus!" Lily went to stand up but Lupin's hold strengthened and she fell back in the chair, her tears pouring.

"Oh Remus, this is such a mess! I feel so alone all the time and I'm tired of the stares and glares I get. James hates me and I can't handle this anymore."

"You know you always have me here Lily." Lupin felt his boundaries collapsing. This is what James had done to her. He had been wrong the whole time, they weren't meant to be together. Now he was with her, her face puffy and tear stained, yet she still looked beautiful. His eyes found hers and instinct took over. His hand still on her shoulder, he leaned forwards and kissed her. Lily was shocked and stunned, her body froze. Before she had time to pull away, the nearest bookcase fell over and there stood James, his expression furious. He strode forwards and grabbed Lupin by the scruff of the neck and thrust him against the wall. Lily jumped up and pulled at James' arm, begging him to let go. James saw red and punched Remus straight in the face, blood pouring down his face. Remus cried out in pain and fell to the floor. Lily screamed at James and pounded his chest.

"James! Stop it!"

"How could you! I loved you and you split up with me to be with my best friend! I thought you were special Lily, but you're just like every other tart in this school!"

"James you need to calm down!" Lily kneeled next to Lupin and muttered "Episkey. Now go to Madame Pomfrey Lupin. I need to talk to James." Lupin stood up and left the library with a harsh glare from James. Lily turned to him. "We need to talk. There are things you need to know." She took his hand and led him to a tree near the lake and sat down beneath it. She thought she saw someone near to them, but when she looked again there was no one in sight. "What I'm going to say is very hard for me, so please don't interrupt." James just looked at her and nodded. So Lily began.

"It was the night I was supposed to meet Peter. He never turned up and I was waiting outside Moaning Myrtle's toilet when some Slytherins grabbed me and I woke up chained to the some chair in the middle of the toilets! Turned out to be Marcus Lee and Sev….Severus. There were a tonne of other people too but I don't remember them very well. Anyway, Severus had a knife and he and Marcus were talking about cleansing and dirty blood," Lily winced and rolled up her sleeve to reveal the scars on her arm and pulled at her trouser leg, revealing the anklet of scars on her ankle. James went white. "To cut it short, it was a bit of a blood fest. He cut my hair and stuff and then I was chained to the sink all night. I couldn't tell you James, you'd have flipped on them! Plus they threatened that if I said anything they'd get you and I couldn't stand that." She was crying now, and James was just looking at the scars. Suddenly he reached over and pulled her into a hug.

"It's ok babe, I'm here now."

Watching the two embrace, Peter was sat under James' invisibility cloak, and he overheard everything.


End file.
